PROJECTION 

CONTROL 

© 

by 

WILLIAM MORTENSEN 


CAMERA CRAFT PUBLISHING COMPANY 
703 MARKET STREET ♦ SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. 


























































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William Mortensen 









PROJECTION 

CONTROL 


by 

WILLIAM MORTENSEN 


CAMERA CRAFT PUBLISHING COMPANY 
703 MARKET STREET ♦ SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. 





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1°\3A- 


Copyright 1934 

CAMERA CRAFT PUBLISHING COMPANY 
SAN FRANCISCO 


Reprinted, with Additional Material, from 
November and December 1933 Issues of 
CAMERA CRAFT 



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146513 



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Projection 

Control 


C ONTROL in projection gives to pictorial photography the same 
facility for expressing the artist’s individuality and personal inter¬ 
pretation that the free-hand draughtsman has in working with an 
etching needle or a piece of charcoal. With the number of methods now 
available for alteration of the original image, the photographer’s scope 
for personal expression is as great as that of any other graphic artist. The 
image as literally recorded on the negative is not a picture, scarcely even 
the beginning of a picture, but rather the potentiality of many different 
pictures according to the artists’s comment on it in the process of printing 
and the attendant manipulations. Getting the image onto the negative is 
only taking the picture* in printing, one comes to making the picture. 

Despite the tremendous possibilities of projection control, it is little 
practiced, much less understood, by the average pictorialist today. It is 
airily dismissed by the ignorant as “trick photography’’, and regarded 
as heretical and blasphemous by the f.64 group. Such neglect is to be 
deplored, for projection control offers the photographer with imagination 
a solution of his discontent with much present-day picture-taking and its 
literal, snap-shot ideals. In his experience as a teacher the author has 
found that instruction in the technique and methods of projection control 
affords a powerful stimulus to students, leading them from the realism 
of accurate recording into the realm of the creative imagination. 

Because of the relatively small amount of work being done in this 
field, it is still rich in undiscovered possibilities of method and effect. The 
author hopes that this discussion of it and a few detailed descriptions of 
procedure will lead others, not only to deeper appreciation of this type 
of technique, but also to effort, by original experiment, to improve and 
extend its capacities. 


Typical Effects 

Before examining a few instances of typical procedure, let us sum¬ 
marize the sort of effects that may be accomplished by intelligent use 
of projection control. 


5 




The simplest of these and most generally appreciated is that involved 
in the process of “framing”. Someone has defined a picture as an idea 
surrounded by a frame. Compositionally speaking, it is an arrangement 
of lines and masses and a balance of lights and darks within a frame. But 
in dealing with the fleeting aspects of things the photographer seldom has 
opportunity to give careful thought to such arrangement and balance. 
This opportunity comes in projecting the negative for enlargement. Some¬ 
times the desired picture will be found in a “choke shot” or a small portion 
of the negative. In portraiture, a slight tilting of a head will often give 
it an arresting dramatic quality that was originally lacking. 

Scornful academicians, deriding the camera, are prone to point with 
pride to the capacity for “losing and finding” the outline as an exclusive 
possession of the older graphic arts. The camera with its strictly mechan¬ 
ical limitations (they argue) must necessarily give an equal emphasis to 
all portions of the outline of all images photographed. This of course 
is true, insofar as “picture-taking” is concerned. If a soft-focus lens is 
used, all the edges will be equally and disagreeably fuzzy and soft, while 
a lens with more definition will yield an edge equally and monotonously 
sharp. But by local printing (which has been aptly described as “painting 
with light”) the pictorial photographer gains the same freedom in respect 
to dealing with outlines as that belonging to other practitioners of the 
graphic arts. By its use a harsh, dead outline is transformed into a fluid 
sequence of accents, vital and interesting, with a distinct suggestion of 
receding planes that lead the eye into the picture. 

Local printing lends itself also to emphasis of significant and salient 
details. Certain essential or climactic points, such as the eyes in a portrait, 
often demand darkening in tone. By deftly placed accents the principal 
lines in a composition may be effectively stressed. 

Conversely, local printing aids in the elimination or subordination of 
detail that is unpleasant, superfluous or incongruous. Objectionable 
strands of hair, unfortunate shadows under the chin or on backgrounds, 
confused masses of extraneous detail in backgrounds or in clothing, acci¬ 
dentally included objects that are meaningless or in direct conflict with 
the essential idea of the picture—these and similar problems may often 
be solved by controlled projection. 

It is an axiom of picture construction that the point of greatest inter¬ 
est and the point of strongest contrast should coincide. Negatives often 
fail to comply with this rule, but by local printing the placing of contrast 
may be largely regulated. 

By subtle alteration or distortion of shapes, stressing lines or forms 
that are already latent in the negative, dramatic force is gained. At the 
same time over-literal or common-place connotations are avoided. 

Montage is, strictly speaking, a development of the motion picture; 
but its essential principle—which is the enhancing of emotion or drama 


6 








Nude Study 


William Mortensen 


Example of Projection Printing from a 3Mx4}4' negative. 


7 





through effective kinship or contrast of forms or ideas—lends itself equally 
well to pictorial photography. Picture elements, related in idea or pat¬ 
tern, but impossible to obtain on one negative, may be brought together 
by combination printing. By this means, also, backgrounds may be added 
to figures, miniature objects may be made to appear huge, and various 
strange effects achieved, useful to the pictorialist with imagination. 


Negative Requirements 

For use in projection control the negative must meet certain strict 
requirements. As regards size: the negative should be a small one, not 
larger than 5x7 inches. The author has found the most con¬ 

venient size. Miniature negatives lend themselves admirably to the var¬ 
ious processes of projection control, although demanding greater skill and 
more critical care in manipulation. If intended for use in combination 
printing the subject should have a white background so illuminated that 
it is higher in key than the subject. The principle point of interest should 


8 









Figure 2. 

Exposed for the 
shadows; 

balanced lighting. # 


be fairly well centered with ample surrounding space to allow for manip¬ 
ulation and adjustment. 

Still more important than the above listed requirements is that relat¬ 
ing to negative quality. The negative should be brilliant, and by con¬ 
ventional standards slightly thin, ranging from complete transparency in 
the deepest shadow through a long scale of half-tones to a dense black 
in the extreme high-lights. Such a negative when examined carefully 
by holding it in front of an illuminated sheet of white paper shows two 
main divisions of tonal quality: 

1. A relatively dense area, 

2. A translucent area. 

The denser area (which represents of course the lighter portions of the 
print) is at no point completely opaque or black save at one or two small 
spots which correspond to the most intense high-lights of the original image. 
Throughout the translucent area (representing the darker passages of the 
print) there is a suggestion of drawing and a faint veiling of tone over it 


9 








Figure 3. 
Exposed for the 
light area; 
“modeling light” 
with reflector. 


all, except in a few small accents (representing the “deepest darks”), 
which are clear and transparent as glass. Finally, there is, between these 
two dominating areas of tone, a considerable and clearly distinguishable 
range of half-tones. Such a negative, if held between a light globe and 
a white sheet of paper, will, even at the distance of six or eight inches, 
cast a clear image of itself. 

Negatives of this peculiar type of brilliance are not to be obtained 
by conventional photographic practice. The author has evolved two rules 
which somewhat explain and summarize his procedure. The first rule is: 
(1 ) “The minimum of exposure with the maximum of development”. 
The second rule explains what is meant by the “minimum of exposure”: 
(2) “Expose for the light area and let the shadows take care of them¬ 
selves”. These rules, it will be readily seen, are in direct contradiction 
to conventional photographic practice, which counsels exposing for detail 
in the shadows. 

All theories of exposure represent an effort to fit the restricted range 
of half-tones of the negative to the range of tones afforded by the sub- 


10 









Figure 4. 
Exposed for 
the shadows; 
“modeling light” 
with reflector. 



ject. Since the negative range is nearly always much shorter than the 
object range, it is obvious that some sort of compromise must be made, 
as it is impossible with the average subject involving local colour to 
simultaneously record on the same negative the full range of half-tones 
in the light area and complete detail in the shadows. By basing exposure 
on the light area, the full range of half-tones in this part of the image is 
reproduced on the negative, with only the extreme high-lights attaining 
full blackness. Figure 1 is a straight print from a negative obtained under 
such conditions. This print immediately impresses one with its tangible, 
three dimensional quality. Note the nice distinction in local colour be¬ 
tween the whites of the eyes and the light area of the flesh. Note also 
the range of delicate half-tones in the light area. The few high-lights 
are crisp and brilliant, and the shadows rich and illusive. The quality of 
the blacks is substantial and velvety. 

The older compromise, that of exposing for the shadows, represents 
an effort to get onto the negative everything recordable in the subject. 
But note what happens when a negative is exposed for the shadow area: 

11 



















Fig. 5. Printing frame tilted for elongation. 


while you are waiting for the small amount of light from the shadows to 
record itself, things are going wrong in the light area. The extreme high¬ 
lights build up to black first of all, and, because they cannot get blacker 
than their ultimate black, they remain there while all the adjacent half¬ 
tones catch up and merge themselves with the high-lights. A print from 
such a negative shows fine detail in the shadows, and a bleak light-area 
bereft of all detail or gradation. Figure 2 shows the result of exposing 
for the shadows: the lighting is identical with that of Figure 1. Compar¬ 
ing Figure 2 with Figure 1, it is immediately evident that the modeling 
of the face has been destroyed so that it looks flat and on one plane. 
The distinction of local color between the whites of the eyes and the 
flesh tones has been lost. The gradation of half-tones in the light area 
has been wiped out completely. There are no crisp high-lights, and no 
rich blacks. The shadows are filled with wiry, unpleasant detail. Com¬ 
pared with the rendition in Figure, 1, the hair in Figure 2 looks meager 
and mousy. 

A comparison of these two prints should make it evident that, aside 
from photographic advantages, there are very definite pictorial and psy¬ 
chological justifications for exposing for the light area. It is to this part 
of the picture that the eye goes first in search of subjective or thematic 


12 





Fig. 6. Local Printing. 


interest. Hence this part should reward the questing eye with fine detail, 
delicate gradation and subtle modeling—the qualities which constitute 
photography’s unique contribution to pictorial art. In the shadows, on 
the other hand, illusion should prevail, and too much literal detail there 
is a distraction and an annoyance. 

One caution needs to be observed: the lighting should be well- 
rounded and balanced. A contrasty lighting, or the typical studio “model¬ 
ing light’’ with reflector, results, when one exposes for the light area, in 
complete loss of the shadow area. Consequently, the “minimum of expo¬ 
sure’’ is not adaptable to outdoor use except in the shade or under a 
cloudy sky. Figure 3 is a typical example of what happens when one 
attempts to combine the minimum of exposure with the “modeling light’’. 
The exposure in this case was the same as that used in Figure 1. Note 
that the shadow area is completely blacked out, although ample detail 
was evident to the eye at the time of taking the picture. Observe, how¬ 
ever, that in the light half of the face, on which the exposure was based, 
there is just as fine gradation and modeling as in Figure 1. 

In Figure 4 is demonstrated the conventional portrait procedure, 
which seeks to secure a three dimensional effect through use of a “model- 


1 ? 









Fig. 7. Local Printing: Method of con- Fig. 8. Position of fist for “dodging in.” 

trolling size and shape of opening with 
left hand. 


ing light” instead of through delicate gradation of half-tones. The light¬ 
ing is the same as in Figure 3, with exposure based on the shadow area. 
Notice that the light area is blasted and burned out even as it was in 
Figure 2. Only in the shadow area does any modeling survive. 

No effort has been made to exaggerate the differences between these 
four prints. They received identical treatment in the dark room. All four 
were printed for the same length of time on the same kind of paper, 
and were developed for the same period in the same developer. 

The first rule calls for the “minimum of exposure with the maximum 
of development”. The second half of the rule is just as important as the 
first and is inseparable from it. By “maximum of development” is meant 
full development. A negative that has been correctly exposed for the 
light area cannot be over-developed. Up to the point that fogging begins 
there is the possibility of the development of latent detail. Such develop¬ 
ment must take place in a solution so balanced in alkaline content as to 
permit prolongation of the development. 

Photographers that expose for the shadows are prone to prematurely 
“jerk” their negatives from the developer in order to prevent the light 
area from blocking up completely. By so doing they cheat themselves of 
some of the detail in the very shadows that they exposed for. As to the 
light area, they get something that is printable, but starved for Half-tones. 
When once the half-tones have merged themselves with the high-lights 
they are joined for good, and no amount of hocus-pocus with under-devel¬ 
opment or reducers can ever take them apart again. 

Mechanical Requisites 

The author has found the horizontal type of projector with nine inch 
condensers and a 200 watt “photographic” bulb to be the most flexible 


14 










sort of enlarging machine, lending itself readily to the various methods 
of control. A good lens (such as a Carl Zeiss, or a Goerz Dagor) is 
essential. An orange filter should be attached to the front of the lens 
in such a manner that it may be easily and quickly removed or replaced. 

The sensitized paper should be held in a printing frame at least 1 lxH 
inches in size with a good flawless glass, preferably optically corrected. 

The frame should be so mounted that it may be tilted forward at 
least fifteen degrees. (See Fig. 5). It is occasionally useful to have 
it so arranged that it may also be rotated about a vertical axis, though 
none of the operations hereafter described require the latter adjustment. 

Finally, three simple accessories are needed. First is a piece of stiff 
black cardboard, measuring about 12x14 inches, in which is cut a hole 
an inch and a half in diameter, two inches above the center and two 
inches to one side of the center. Also necessary are a black wax pencil 
and a jar of “opaque”. These, together with a human fist and flexible 
fingers, are all the tools required. 


Four Methods 

As indicated previously, there are four general methods of projection 
control. 

1. Control by framing. 

2. Control by local printing and “dodging in”. 

3. Control by alteration or distortion. 

4. Control by combination and montage. 


1. Framing 

Framing as a procedure is too well-known and understood to call for 
detailed exposition, but it is too important a matter to pass over without 
comment. Framing concerns itself, not only with the problem of fitting 
the subject within the border and determining the most effective placing 
of principal and subordinate points of interest, but also with the selection 
of the most appropriate relation of length to breadth. Different shapes, 
of course, hold different psychological connotations. A feeling of height, 
for example, would be difficult to realize with a square composition, which 
gives, on the contrary, an impression of formality and limitation. The 
metopes of the Parthenon frieze are typical arrangements within a square. 
A long horizontal frame induces a feeling of rest, repose, and informality. 
A recumbent figure would call for such framing as a matter of course. 
The majority of landscape subjects demand it also. If lettering, or other 
motive or device, is to be added, care must be taken to mentally allot 
space and weight to it in framing the picture in the projector. 


15 



“Little Jimmie” 
Straight Print 


2. Local Printing 

Between the lens of the enlarger and the printing frame there is a 
space varying from a few inches to several feet. By manipulations within 
this space, directing and regulating the passage of the light, are per¬ 
formed the twin operations of local printing and “dodging in”, the use 
of which accomplishes the losing and finding of outline, the building up 
of significant emphasis, the subordination of undesirable detail, and, fin¬ 
ally, the heightening of contrast at any desired point. 

For the following demonstration of local printing it will be assumed 
that the student has a negative of a child’s head, similar in 

content to the accompanying study of “Little Jimmie”. The procedure 
described is precisely that used in making this print. 

With the orange filter in position, frame the head to the size you 
wish it to be in relationship to the picture area and close down the dia¬ 
phragm of the lens to stop f.22. 

With the right hand hold the perforated cardboard, described above, 
in front of the lens, between it and the printing frame. By masking the 


16 






“Little Jimmie” 
Locally Printed 
and Framed 


hole with the fingers of the left hand it is possible to cut the light passing 
through to a crescent or a mere pin-point. (See Figs. 6 and 7). Note that 
a replica of the image appears on the cardboard—slightly blurred and 
indistinct, it is true—but sufficiently definite to guide you in your printing. 
Now remove the filter and let a small round spot of light play over one 
of the eyes. Do likewise to the other eye, being very careful to give equal 
time to each. Then allow the light to play over the lips for about the 
same length of time, taking care to avoid the nostrils. Next paint in the 
hair bordering both sides of the face and darken one or two other accents 
in the hair. Now, with the hole narrowed down to a mere slit, trace down 
the side of the head, allowing the light to emphasize the delicate line of 
forehead, temple and lower cheek. Draw in the neck-line with a slight 
accent here and there. 

Now withdraw the fingers from the hole and guide the cardboard 
to a place nearer the lens where the aperture will be large enough to per¬ 
mit the entire head to be seen on the print. Allow a general exposure 
here of about the same length as that given each of the eyes. Gradually 


n 







bring the card board nearer the lens until the entire negative has had 
an exposure. Replace the orange filter, remove the negative from the en¬ 
larger, and close down the lens to its smallest stop. Then, with your fist 
clenched and held in front of the lens, remove the filter and, with the 
shadow of your fist shielding the face of your image, revolve your arm and 
elbow, keeping the center of the print from being exposed. (See Fig. 8). 
Work gradually nearer the lens until you have obscured the entire print. 
Replace the filter. 

Your print is now complete and ready for developing. You have 
dealt with your material in a selective manner similar to that of a free¬ 
hand artist, with the advantage of being assured perfect drawing both 
of structure and of likeness. You have emphasized such interesting salient 
features as the eyes and mouth, have subordinated such secondary or 
disturbing elements as the nostrils, the bad shadow along the nose, and 
the confusing pattern of the dress, and have escaped from the literal, 
monotonous effect of the straight print of the same image. (See illustra¬ 
tion). Moreover, you have achieved subtlety in the contour by losing 


18 






“Circe” 

Finished Print 
Involving Framing 
and Elongation 



and finding the outline, and, by means of “dodging in” you have obtained 
a gradation of tone that focusses attention by concentrating the strongest 
light on the point of greatest psychological interest. 

The procedure of “dodging in”, described above, is sufficiently im¬ 
portant to merit separate comment. It consists in holding back from print¬ 
ing any desired portion of the picture, while diminishing the contrast of 
the remainder, thus forcing a higher contrast in the part held back. It is 
often a useful expedient in making a straight print of a head, securing 
an increased dominance of the face by reason of its relatively increased 
contrast and of the darker tones in the corners of the picture. The student 
interested in landscape photography will find in “dodging” a fruitful field 
for experiment. Through its use surprising atmospheric effects may be 
obtained: a stormy glare may be thrown on a calm ocean; the moon may 
ripple over a mid-day sea; or the sun may be made to rise by the expe¬ 
dient of rotating the finger about a chosen point on the horizon. 

A species of local printing is the process known as “vignetting”. This 
Utilizes the perforated cardboard previously referred to. An exposure is 


19 











first made of the face (assuming you are dealing with a portrait negative), 
then the cardboard is gradually moved nearer the lens of the enlarger, 
giving progressively diminished exposure to the surrounding parts of the 
print. This yields a picture pale and under-exposed at the edges, deep¬ 
ening to its darkest tones at the center. The general effect is thus the 
reverse of that obtained by “dodging in”. As a means of increasing 
Principality it is not successful, owing to the distracting high-key of the 
edges and corners. 

In making use of local printing always study the image in advance, 
determining which lines should be stressed, which elided or softened, 
etc., and then rehearse, as it were, the intended manipulations several 
times before placing the sensitized paper in the frame. 

3. Distortion 

The type of distortion most frequently employed is elongation. By 
tilting forward the printing frame one obtains elongation in varying de¬ 
grees, depending upon the angle of the frame. By means of cutting down 


20 




“George Dunham” 
Finished Print, 
Involving Framing, 
Elongation and 
Local Printing 



the diaphragm to almost its smallest stop, it is possible to bring all parts 
of the image into focus, despite their differing distances from the lens. 

Through distortion one escapes further than is possible by local 
printing from the literal, realistic conditions of the negative. It is for this 
reason more limited in its applications. One must be very sure that the 
distortion is already suggested or implied by lines or forms in the original 
image. If there is, further, a hint of the bizarre, the symbolic, or the 
idealized, distortion may probably be resorted to with excellent effect. 
But be sure that the distorted form is (in Clive Bell’s phrase) more “sig¬ 
nificant” than the original. 

Examples in idealization are found in the accompanying studies of 
“Circe” and “George Dunham”. The picture entitled “Fear” belongs 
rather to the field of the symbolic. Elongation was used in making all 
three. 

This is the procedure for the first two. Tip the printing frame for¬ 
ward about fifteen degrees. (See Fig. 5). Frame the head, being careful 
to keep the line of the features perpendicular. With the lens wide open, 


21 










“Fear” 

Straight Print 


focus the image at the center of the face. (It may be noted in passing 
that slightly different distortions may be obtained by focusing at the top 
or the bottom of the image.) Now close down the diaphragm to nearly 
its lowest stop, or until the top and bottom parts of the picture become 
sharp. Give an exposure, which will of course, owing to the small lens 
aperture, be considerably longer than normal. Local printing may be 
resorted to also if you wish. After the exposure has been made, replace 
the printing frame in its usual vertical position, and, with the negative 
removed from the enlarger and the lens closed down, “dodge in” as 
described in the section on local printing. This completes the procedure 
in making the prints “George Dunham” and “Circe”. For sake of com¬ 
parison, straight prints from the same negatives are included. 

The symbolic study of “Fear” is produced by a combination of local 
printing, elongation, and multiple printing,—all done during projection. 
A straight print of the original negative shows the extent of the manipu¬ 
lations. The printing frame is tilted and the negative focused upon it, 
as above described, taking care to allow space in the background for the 


22 











"Fear" William Mottensen 

Finished Print Involving Framing, Elongation, Local Printing 
and Multiple Printing 


23 









" William Mortensen” 
Alfred E. Banks 

Figure 9. 

Caricature: 

Example of 
Local Elongation. 


addition of the graduated shadows. After closing down the lens till the 
entire image is in focus, an exposure is made, employing local printing 
to emphasize the dark shroud around the head, and to build up contrast 
near the center of the picture. Move the cardboard nearer the lens until 
the whole image has been exposed. Replace the orange filter and rack the 
enlarger back about an inch. This will of course produce a slightly larger 
image. With the fist so held as to protect the image already exposed, 
remove the filter and expose again, allowing only the dark edge of the 
drape and a bit of the diaphanous gauze to record themselves. Replace 
the filter and repeat the process, moving the enlarger further back each 
time for three or four exposures. Let each exposure be a little less than 
the one before, thereby securing the mysterious gradation of shadow- 
forms in the background. Finally, remove the negative, close down the 
diaphragm to its lowest stop and do the usual “dodging in”. 

Aside from its pictorial uses, elongation of this sort is occasionally 
applicable to ordinary portrait work. By tilting the frame very slightly. 


24 











“La Chatte” Straight print from Negative No. 1 


not more than five degrees, one may obtain an elongation that, while 
scarcely discernible, is yet subtly flattering to faces that are unduly 
chubby. 

In the foregoing examples the whole picture is subjected to equal 
distortion. It is possible, however, to elongate a portion of the image 
while the rest is rendered literally. Such local distortion is best adapted 
to caricature in the humorous vein, as in the accompanying picture, (Fig. 
9) which represents the author as irreverently interpreted by a pupil of his. 
To accomplish this sort of distortion a piece of white bristol board, 11x14, 
is substituted for the printing frame. Thumb-tack the bottom and curl 
the upper half forward. With the lens wide open, focus the image on 
the curved portion; then close down till all parts of the image are sharp. 
Fit the sensitized paper to the curve, clipping it along the edges to hold 
it in correct alignment. In exposure, allow for the reduced aperture. This 
method of distortion admits of endless variations: the field of distortion 
may be placed wherever wished, and the degree and direction of the 
distortion controlled with fair accuracy. As in other phases of projection 
control, the opportunity is large for individual development and applica¬ 
tion of the basic principle. 

4. Combination Printing and Montage 

The term "montage” was originally applied to a technical innovation 
developed by the Russian film soon after the Revolution, but it is equally 


25 



applicable to an analogous procedure with "still” pictures. Differing 
theories and conceptions of montage have developed, involving rather 
abstruse philosophical points, but the fundamental principles are clear 
and unquestioned. Montage means building up and reinforcing an idea 
by the combination or juxtaposition of diverse pictorial elements. The 
idea may grow out of likeness of the elements or be generated by the 
clash of opposites. Always in montage there is the overtone of an idea 
that is not present in the picture elements themselves, but results from 
their combination. In the accompanying study of ‘‘La Chatte”, for in¬ 
stance, the strange hauteur of all cats is commented upon in terms of 
the inscrutability of the mask and of the ancient mystery of the pyramids. 

Mechanically speaking, montage is a matter of combination printing; 
but not all combination printing is montage. In ‘‘The Tribunal”, for ex¬ 
ample, the construction is entirely in terms of literal picture elements, not 
of ideas. 

‘‘La Chatte” will serve to illustrate the mechanical procedure of most 
montages. Straight prints of the two negatives reveal that the subjects 
were photographed with a white background, which is a requisite for 
negatives to be used in combination in the manner herein described. This 


26 









“La Chatte” William Mortensen 

Finished Print Involving Montage, Framing, and Local Printing 


background should be so strongly illuminated that it is distinctly higher 
in key than any portion of the subject. 

Place the cat negative in the enlarger and give it a normal exposure 
with slight additional emphasis to the head by means of local printing. 
Adjust the orange filter to prevent further exposure, and with the wax 
pencil indicate on the glass of the printing frame the principal points in 
the outline of the cat. Substitute the second negative, adjusting it to its 
proper relationship to the first image by means of the guide marks. Erase 
the marks, remove the filter, and give an exposure about half the length 
of the first one. This gives an impression of another lighter-toned plane 
and permits the cat to dominate the composition. For the final step, close 
down the diaphragm and “dodge in” slightly to blend the two images. 

“The Tribunal” is included as an extreme instance of combination 
printing, representing the most intricate problem that the student is likely 
to undertake. It illustrates the ability of combination printing to suggest 
spaces and properties wholly unavailable to the average student who 
wishes to experiment with complicated arrangements. The composition 


27 





Straight prints from the five negatives used in the 
composite print “The Tribunal” 


of “The Tribunal’' was planned by means of a sketch. The position of 
the elements being thereby established, a separation of the groups was 
made in such a way as to accommodate the facilities of the studio in 
space and material. Five negatives were needed to accomplish this. It 
will be immediately noted from the accompanying reproductions that the 
relative size of the original images is considerably altered in the finished 
study. The necessary readjustments of proportion were of course made 
in the process of projection. Such portions of the negatives as fall behind 
other objects in the finished composition were opaqued out. Opaquing 
will be noted on the negative of the standing monk, as well as on the 
lower part of the legs of the man who is pulling the rope. The picture 
was printed in the natural order of receding planes, as numbered on the 
cut. The first negative was given the longest exposure, producing a near¬ 
silhouette. The three negatives comprising the middle distance received a 
normal exposure, while the last one, of the large wheel, was allowed barely 
to record itself. 


28 




"77ie Tribunal " William Mortensen 

Finished Print, Involving the use of Five Negatives, Combined and Framed by 
means of PROJECTION CONTROL. 


29 







Pax Vobiscum 

Projection control is a fascinating field and a dangerous one. Superior 
technical ability is needed and good taste to apply it. It cannot be too 
strongly emphasized that projection control is not a flourish or a fancy 
finish to a picture; it is integral to the picture, and its use must be con¬ 
ditioned by strict relevance to material. Let nothing that has been pre¬ 
viously said about the lesser importance of “picture taking” be construed 
as sanctioning anything but the most careful procedure at all stages of 
photographic work. Projection control must not and cannot be used to 
cover up earlier incompetence or carelessness. A good negative, cor¬ 
rectly lighted, correctly exposed, and correctly developed, is absolutely 
necessary. 

The procedures described may sound simple, but in first trials they 
will prove extremely awkward and difficult. Until the requisite manual 
skill is acquired don’t look for any great results. And don’t rush before 
the public, or even your admiring friends, with the early fruits of your 
experiments with projection control. At this stage it is not well to count 
too much the cost or to be niggardly of supplies. Be prepared to spoil, 
or rather to dedicate to educational purposes, many gross of enlarging 
paper. 

Only through painful experiment and discovery may one evade the 
trammels of the merely technical aspects of the photographer’s craft. Be¬ 
yond technique lies the field of personal expression through purposeful 
and selective dealing with material. While it is characteristic of the artist 
to love the purely sensuous qualities of the world, the multitudinous tex¬ 
tures of surfaces, the strange shapes of things—the simple recording of 
these for their own sake, the literal representation of them, does not con¬ 
stitute art. Intimate studies of a cart wheel, a cabbage, or a compound 
fracture, though they may be exceedingly fascinating and useful in afford¬ 
ing valuable problems in composition, in exploring the possibilities of form 
relationship, and in revealing new fields of pattern and design, must ulti¬ 
mately fail of appeal because of their negligible emotional content. 
Human emotion has been the basic material of all great art in the past, 
and always will be, though each generation will express it through its 
own forms and patterns. 

So every artist, when he comes of age, must turn from the primitive 
sense experiences of the outside world, with its fascinating sights, sounds, 
and smells, to the conflicts and tranquilities, the complexities and simplici¬ 
ties, the contradictions and unities of the human soul. With the few 
brittle tools of his craft he will attack huge problems and majestic issues, 
and will audaciously try to realize the universal in the particular, the 
eternal in the transitory. In the world’s ultimate opinion he may fail; 
but at least he will have dealt with man-sized problems. 


30 





Personal 

Instruction 

by 


William 

Mortensen 



William Mortensen has for several years accepted a limited number of talented 
pupils for personal instruction at his studio at Laguna Beach, California. The 
course, which consists of not less than six three-hour sessions of individual 
teaching, covers the following subjects: 

COMPOSITION 

TECHNIQUE OF LIGHTING 

PROJECTION CONTROL 

MONTAGE AND MULTIPLE PRINTING 

BROMOIL TRANSFER AND PAPER NEGATIVE 

MINIATURE CAMERA TECHNIQUE 
(optional with student) 


Students who have completed the course are for a period of a year 
permitted monthly conferences and criticisms. 


For further information address William Mortensen, care of 
Camera Craft Publishing Co., or Box 255, Laguna Beach, California 


















REPRINTED FROM 

CAMERA 

CRAFT 


THE TEXT OF THIS BOOK AP- 


PEARED IN THE NOVEMBER 


AND DECEMBER ISSUES OF 


CAMERA CRAFT 


AND IS AN INSTANCE OF THE 

TYPE OF INSTRUCTIVE, PRAC¬ 
TICAL ARTICLES APPEARING 

REGULARLY IN THAT MAGA¬ 
ZINE. 


20 cents a copy 


Subscription Price 

Domestic 

.$2.00 

Foreign 

.2.50 

Canada 

.2.60 

CAMERA CRAFT PUBLISHING CO. 

703 MARKET STREET 

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 













AN EXPOSURE WORTH MAKING- 



Print obtained from the 
half of the negative which 
had been intensified for 
iy 2 minutes in Victor 
Intensifier. 


This side shows print 
obtained from the 
half of the negative 
which was not in¬ 
tensified. 


IS WORTH SAVING 


Thin, underdeveloped negatives can be 
easily and quickly built up to proper printing 
density by a short immersion in 

VICTOR 

INTENSIFIER 

a simple, single^solution intensifier of great 
strength. 


PRICES 

No. 1 Powder, makes 4 ozs. solution.$0.25, Postpaid $0.30 

No. 2 Powder, makes 8 ozs. solution.45, Postpaid .50 

No. 3 Powder, makes 16 03 s. solution.85, Postpaid .90 


VICTOR SPOTTING COLORS 

FURNISH IDEAL COLOR MEDIUMS FOR SPOTTING OR RETOUCHING 
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS OF ALL TONES 

The Brown and Sepia are correct colors as named, blend' 
ing in nicely on prints of these shades. And the Black will 
not only dissolve more readily than India Ink, but will 
also adhere better to the print. 

They are supplied in two very convenient forms, viz.: 
The No. 0 and No. 1 on celluloid sheets and the No. 2 
in opal glass jars. The color is picked up direct from these 
sheets or jars with a moistened spotting brush. All dis" 
solve readily and adhere perfectly to the print. 

A very liberal amount of color is supplied in these sets, 
making them very inexpensive to use. 

PRICES 

No. 0—Black, photo brown and sepia shades, per set.$0.20 

No. 1—Black, white, photo brown and sepia, per set.45 

No. 2—Black, white, photo brown and sepia, per set.80 

No. 2—Any single shade, each.20 


\ 



No. 1 Set 


WE ALSO MANUFACTURE SMOKELESS AND NON-SMOKLESS FLASH CARTRIDGES AND 
POWDERS, AND ALL TYPES OF FLASHLAMPS. WRITE FOR DESCRIPTIVE MATTER 


You Can Obtain Our Products from Your Dealer 

JAS. H. SMITH & SONS CO. GRIFFITH, IND. 




















A PORTFOLIO OF 


BEAUTIFUL 

PRINTS 

WILLIAM 

MORTENSEN 


By special arrangement with Mr. Morten- 
sen we are able to offer a beautiful collec¬ 
tion of 25 actual prints, (not reproduc¬ 
tions) by this leader among photographic 
artists. 



Mr. Mortensen handles his subjects with infinite delicacy or marvelous vigor as the mood 
demands, and always with a deft touch that makes his pictures wonderfully expressive. His 
prints have a decided individuality that differentiates them from the work of all others. 


PRINT COLLECTORS will find these portfolios one of the greatest values ever offered. They 
afford a most unusual opportunity for those beginning a collection. 

Price Complete Portfolio #10.00 


An Indian Lyric 
A Flemish Maid 
Mutual Admiration 
The Kiss 
Obsession 
A Romany Maid 


LIST OF TITLES 


Johan The Mad 
Cesare Borgia 
Youth 

Tantric Sorcerer 
Human Relations 1932 
Patricia 
Nicolo Paganini 


Betty 

Preparation for the Sabbot 

Victoria Rebecca 

Myrdith 

La Chatte 

The Maid of Tunis 

A Siren of the South Seas 


Circe 

The Oarsmen 
So jin 

Nude Study 
Caprice Vennois 


jiattjafio aic alaifaMc at $3.00 eacit 


Salon S; 5 c fPtintd [ll"xl4"] mai| 


attained. an atde* at $15.00 cacli 


CAMERA CRAFT PUBLISHING COMPANY 

703 Market Street San Francisco, Calif. 




























































































































































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* 
















































































































































































LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



0 029 037 852*7 












